


Washington Blues

by operatorrhythmi



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Music & Bands, F/F, Humanstuck, Marchingstuck, bandstuck
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-04-16
Updated: 2012-04-29
Packaged: 2017-11-03 18:23:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/384450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/operatorrhythmi/pseuds/operatorrhythmi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rose is the field commander for the Easton High School Marching Band in Washington.  As a first year field commander, she faces the struggle of the leadership position.  Not only that, but matters of the heart also add to the stress of high school.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Doubt

Washington Blues 

Chapter One

Doubt

 

The constant ticking of the clock drew my eyes in its direction. The time reads ten thirty. Where has the time gone? I swear it was eight just a minute ago. I suppose that happens when one gets completely engrossed into a good book.  
Setting the book on my desk, I turn my attention on my computer. The online world has been rather dead lately, and other than reading fanfiction and occasionally talking to friends, it’s been rather useless to me.  
My email application is displaying a red notification. Checking it, I see that I have two emails from the band directors. It’s about time. I’ve been waiting for this schedule for quite some time now. However, I suppose that they’re running behind due to the fact that our band is now more than doubled in size, and I’m willing to bet they have been doing their best to make sure that we have enough uniforms and instruments.  
The school zones were changed at the end of the year, resulting in our marching band of twenty-five to be boosted to over sixty people. To a lot of the band members this is something to commemorate. For me, this is slightly intimidating.  
Why? I am the leader known by either the title field commander or drum major. Typically, I tell people outside of band that I am the field commander; otherwise they almost always assume I’m on drum line. As much as I love my percussionists, I know I could never be one.  
The Easton High School Band has always been small. The largest we have ever been was thirty-six people. Even then, that was before our current directors worked at the school. The field commanders before me have no experience in dealing with this many people, so in a sense I’m on my own. I will not abscond though. This isn’t just some conflict with my mother where that is acceptable. I will make sure that the directors know that they made the right choice in appointing me for this position.  
I click on the email and begin to read it.  
“Hello, everyone! We hope everyone is having a wonderful summer vacation. It’s hard to believe that it is that time again, but Band Camp is here! Guard and percussion rehearsals were announced in our last email, and hopefully those students have been attending. We just want to remind everyone that the first week of band camp begins Monday and goes through Friday, July 15th. Everyone is required to attend from 8-12. Color guard and percussion students will attend from 8-3. The second week will be from July 18-22 from 8-5.”  
The rest of the email just lists a bunch of reminders of things to bring, and whatnot. Simple things that are more intended for freshmen.  
I exit out of that email, and click on the other.  
“Hello, Rose. As said in the reminder email, we hope you’re having a wonderful vacation. As you know, the school zones were changed around, resulting in our band growing to a size we have never seen. We trust that you learned a lot at the leadership you and the others went to in Seattle, and we are more than confident that you will do just fine. But, that is not what this email is about. Recently we met with the director of Ellensburg High School, and we learned that one of the students moving from there was actually their assistant field commander. Along with the fact that she is being ripped from her original band, she is going to be stripped of that title. We actually don’t want to do that. She already served the position her sophomore year, and we think she would be a good assistant field commander for our band. Seeing as the band has grown so large, it would be good to a field commander who has worked with a large number of students.  
“We would like you to talk to Kanaya Maryam at pre-camp about being the assistant field commander for the band. We’ll point her out to you on the first day. Until then, we hope you have a wonderful rest of your vacation.”  
Interesting. I’m not quite sure I how I feel about this. The feeling of intimidation comes to mind. This Kanaya girl will have more experience than I do, and she is a junior also, so this could give her an edge to becoming head field commander next year.  
I think I’m overthinking this. Regardless, I will make sure I talk to her.  
A flashing on my screen catches my eye, and I see that my Pesterchum is saying that someone is talking to me. Clicking on it, I see that it is John. We talk for a short time, but the subject of Kanaya comes up.  
TT: Yes, her name is Kanaya and the directors want her to be the assistant field commander.  
EB: wow! that’s gonna be cool. i don’t think we’ve ever had two drum majors before? she was an assistant at ellensburg right?  
TT: Correct.  
EB: oh! i think i remember talking to her and their other drum majors once. they have a weird style of conducting and i asked her about it. i think i remember her being really nice.  
TT: Well, it is good to know that she is nice, but if she has an odd conducting pattern I suppose I will have to drill it out of her.  
EB: haha! but don’t the drum majors get a special instructor during band camp?  
TT: Yes, but old habits are hard to break. I’m sure I’d have to spend a considerable amount of time with her working on it.  
EB: sounds like loads of fun. though, you said she already acted as drum major before right?  
TT: Yes. It leads me to assume that the field commander position is taken very seriously over at Ellensburg High School. I will not lie, it is a little unnerving to think the assistant will have more experience than the head drum major.  
EB: i understand what you mean, but don’t sweat it! you have to remember, she was the assistant so she didn’t have the most experience. plus, on top of that, she’s coming to a whole new high school. i’m sure that’s gotta be tough.  
TT: Agreed.  
EB: oh yeah! I have to go meet karkat before practice. i’ll talk to you later rose!  
TT: Goodbye, John.  
-ectoBiologist [EB] ceased pestering tentacleTherapist [TT]-  
I sigh to myself. Socialization is not something I worry myself over. I enjoy time to myself, but after so long, it would be nice to have some friends who would want to be around me more. I love John with all of my being, but he can be very…in lightest terms, goofy. I much prefer serious conversations; ones where we can bounce ideas off of one another.  
It is a shame that the only person I can seem to have a sensible conversation with is Aradia.  
It is also a shame that we rarely speak now. Once, what seems ages ago, we spoke on a regular basis. It would be a lie if I were to say that I didn’t miss those days.  
Pesterchum makes another noise, and I see that once again I am being messaged.  
-apocalypseArisen [AA] has begun trolling tentacleTherapist [TT]-  
Well, speak of the devil.  
AA: hey r0se!  
TT: Hello, Aradia. I thought you had percussion camp today?  
AA: we d0 but i wanted t0 talk t0 y0u ab0ut that actually  
TT: What might that be?  
AA: i think y0u sh0uld c0me up t0 the high sch00l at some p0int t0day. i want y0u t0 meet every0ne  
TT: I may consider it.  
AA: the new snare player is s0 c00l! th0ugh he can be a bit 0f an ass at times  
TT: That settles it. How can I say no to meeting an ass?  
AA: haha! well, i h0pe y0u sh0w up! we havent hung 0ut in s0 l0ng but i have t0 g0 n0w  
TT: See you later, Aradia.  
-apocalypseArisen [AA] has ceased trolling tentacleTherapist [TT]-  
I wonder why we haven’t hung out, Aradia? It couldn’t be due to the fact that I am not nearly as interesting as the percussionists. That can’t be it.  
I really need another female friend…

 

“Well, well, look who decided to make an appearance!”  
I should have known that Eridan would be the first to greet me.  
Turning towards the tall brunette, I greet him with a smile. “Well, Aradia asked me to show up for awhile. I figured I’d better humor her,” I simply tell him. I’ve found it’s never best to give him too much information. As nice as he comes off, I’ve known him long enough to know that he likes having leverage over anyone.  
He gives me a quick look over before saying anything. “Ah, well, they just finished with their inside rehearsal so they should be setting up the field by now. Guard practice just finished,” he says.  
I could have figured that on my own. Why else would be he wondering around the high school in shorts and a t-shirt?  
“How is the guard looking for this year?” I ask him. I don’t pay much attention to the color guard, but I suppose it couldn’t do any harm knowing how they’re doing so far.  
He smirks. “Everyone seems promising. It’s nice having a large guard,” he says, running a hand through his hair, grabbing some of the blonde streak. “Though, nobody can toss a rifle like me,” he jokingly adds.  
I laugh just a tad, knowing that it is probably true. “Well, I’m going to go check on percussion now, so I’ll see you later,” I tell him, taking a step away.  
Eridan nods, and says his goodbye.  
I will not lie. I still have a hard time believing that he is in color guard for the right reasons. I think it was an attention-seeking thing. He is great at what he does; nobody can toss a rifle like him, but I will never believe that he actually joined color guard for the right reasons.  
Walking around to the backside of the school, I notice a smaller girl pushing one of the marimbas up the hill towards the practice field. I don’t know her so I can assume that she is either a freshmen or one of the new students. Regardless, I know that the marimba she is pushing has a messed up wheel, making it very difficult to move places.  
As a field commander, I shouldn’t just stand by, so I rush up towards the strawberry blonde girl.  
She stopped as she heard my footsteps, and looks back at me.  
“How about some help?” I offer. She studies me with her teal eyes only a second before accepting my help.  
“Thanks! This stupid thing is such a pain. Though, I guess the ones back at Ellensburg were just as bad, if not worse.” She tells me as we begin to start pushing the marimba.  
“Ah, so you’re from Ellensburg?” I ask though I already know the answer.  
She nods. “Yep! My name is Terezi. I’m a sophomore,” she informs.  
“I’m Rose,” I simply reply.  
I notice that she seems to be in thought. “Drum major?” She says in a questioning tone.  
Nodding yes, she proceeds to say, “oh! John mentioned you a few times. He was right about you being pretty.”  
I thank her. Even though I do not believe her, it would be rude to deny a compliment.  
We push the marimba the rest of the way in silence, having to stop to correct its path every so often. I think I remember the directors talking about getting this fixed before the first football game. It would certainly make things a lot easier.  
“So, which one of you made her push this thing up here by herself?” I ask the group of front ensemble members upon reaching the front of the practice field.  
A considerably tall male with short black hair shrugs and casts his yellow eyes on John.  
“Karkat was supposed to help her,” John answers, his voice sounding very confused.  
A nervous giggle draws my attention back towards Terezi. “He was busy with his little ‘hate-date’ with Dave, so I just decided to come up here on my own,” she tells us.  
John frowns. “Now I feel bad for making you do that! Next time just come get one of us to help,” he tells her.  
Terezi gives him a dismissive wave of the hand. “It’s okay. Rose here isn’t even annoying like Karkat.”  
John and the tall male laugh a little, only to be interrupted by the sound of the drum line cadence in the distance.  
John gives a heavy sigh. “Great. The other three still aren’t here.”  
The male shakes his head in annoyance. “Drew is gonna kill them. Whatever. They’re a bunch of losers anyways.” At this, I notice that he has a very pronounced lisp. It’s almost distracting how pronounced it is.  
I take it that three of the front ensemble members aren’t very reliable. I know Riley rarely shows up on time. She’s a prick, and I honestly don’t like her at all. She thinks she’s an amazing percussionist, and complains all the time about how Drew, the percussion instructor, won’t put her on drum line.  
Let’s put it this way: I know nothing about percussion, but I can play a snare better than her.  
As the sound of the approaching drum line becomes louder, I notice Karkat and three other girls, clad in various colors of shorts and tank tops, walking over the hill. Judging by the rolled up flags in their hands, I assume they’re new guard members.  
The male with the lisp laughs as Karkat draws near. “Such a player, KK.”  
“Oh, shut up, Sollux,” Karkat grumbles. “You’re so full of crap it’s not even funny. They just didn’t want to be alone while they waited for their parents. I wasn’t just going to leave them at the front of the school.”  
Classic Karkat. He has to defend himself on every accusation, and it usually never helps his case.  
“No, all three of us are completely swooning due to his grumpy demeanor! Aren’t we?” The black-haired girl with glasses says, nudging the smaller girl next to her into Karkat.  
The girl’s green eyes widen, but she quickly recovers. “Oh, yeah, completely!” She says jokingly.  
They better not think that one got past me.  
Karkat rolls his eyes, oblivious to what just happened. “Whatever. Just go stand over there or something,” he grumbles, walking over to the xylophone, acting like he is checking it for the proper mallets.  
The girl who had shoved the other girl giggles, then looks at me. “Oh, you’re new! I’m Jade! This is Nepeta,” she points to the girl she shoved, and then towards the other girl, “and she’s Feferi!”  
She seems rather peppy and friendly. Normally I would be dismissive about this kind of personality, but Jade seems to have this air about her that is preventing me from feeling that way. Interesting.  
We all fall silent as we watch drum line approach the field. Drew is in the front of everyone, speculating their marching. Aradia, being the center snare, is busy giving the beat for everyone to march to. Drew finally gives her the okay to release everyone.  
“Take a couple of minutes to set up,” he tells them.  
Most of the drum line proceeds to take their drums off of their carriers, set them down, and start talking to one another. Aradia sets down her snare, then rushes over to envelope me in a hug. “I didn’t think you were actually going to come!” She tells me.  
I give a slight giggle, returning the hug. “Well, you asked me to, and I figured it was a good of time as ever to see how everyone was doing.”  
She rolls her deep red eyes at me. “Sure, sure,” she says dismissively. “Oh, yeah! Practice ends early today since Drew has to go to Seattle for something, so we should hang out!”  
I smile at the offer. “Sounds good to me. You can come over for the weekend. We both know my mother won’t care.” I tell her.  
She continues to smile. “Awesome! I’ve got to get back to drum line, but we’ll talk after rehearsal, okay?”  
I silently nod, and watch her stride away. I cannot help but admire the way her brunette hair moves in the breeze. She’s far too beautiful for her own good.  
Once practice begins, the three guard girls and myself go sit on the sideline. We talk a little, and I must say that their company is rather nice. Jade and Feferi are complete bundles of energy. Just before their parents came to get them, Nepeta stopped, seeming to remember something. “Oh, yeah, I think you’re going to get along really well with Kanaya!” She tells me.  
I shrug. “I hope so. See you three at band camp.”  
They say bye to me, just in time for percussion to go to break. I talk with front ensemble. The other three missing members finally showed up, and it’s not leaving me with a good impression. They claimed to have good reason for being late, but when John asked them, they said they already spoke with Drew. That seems rather suspicious if one were to ask me.  
The remaining two hours seem to go by fast, though I regret my decision of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. Today turned out to be a lot warmer than I expected. It’s probably close to seventy-five degrees.  
At least it’s entertaining to watch Drew yell at them for simple missteps. The music so far is coming along nicely. I can’t wait to hear it blend with the rest of the band. It will be some time before I actually hear that, but it’s a nice thought.  
I help front ensemble back inside, and while I am covering up one of the vibraphones, I notice Aradia and Sollux talking in front of the director’s office. The body language between the two leads me to safely assume that she is fond of him. 

 

“You’ll have to excuse me. My room is a bit of a mess,” I apologize as Aradia walks into my room, her bag in hand.  
“Rose, your room is always messy.” It’s true. My room is rarely one hundred percent clean. Something is always out of place. I tried to clean up some, but I couldn’t motivate myself to clean everything. There are other things of importance that occupy my mind at the moment.  
Aradia places her bag at the foot of my bed, and proceeds to lie down.  
“So, what’s going on between you and Sollux?” I ask, sitting on my desk chair.  
She sits up and giggles. “What ever could you mean?”  
There is no sense in ‘beating around the bush’, so I just tell her like it is. “It’s blatantly obvious you’re fond of him.”  
“I can’t hide anything from you, can I?” She asks rhetorically. “He’s from Ellensburg, he’s pretty cool, and we have a lot in common! Oh, and he’s such an amazing percussionist! He’s even better than John with two mallets!” She continues to rave about him for awhile. It takes a lot of my patience to not stop her.  
Aradia and I have been friends since I was in seventh grade. Naturally I’ve seen a lot of sides to her that nobody else knows of. She’s a year ahead of me, so it saddens me to know that this is my last year with her. I need to enjoy every minute I get with her.  
Also, in the grand scheme of things, I much prefer this personality from the one she had in eighth grade.  
Aradia used to be very solitary, and very lifeless, to a sense. It wasn’t until she moved up to the high school that she turned into the person she is today.  
“What about you? Do you have your eye on anyone?” Aradia asks, snapping me from my thoughts.  
I laugh at her. “You should know me better than that. There are far more important things for me to be thinking about other than romance.”  
She shrugs. “You never know. Someone from Ellensburg may catch your eye and completely change that opinion. That’s what happened to me!”  
Doubtful, Aradia. Very doubtful.


	2. Pre-Camp

Washington Blues 

Chapter Two 

Pre-Camp 

 

Opening the one of the doors to the band room, I cannot help but sigh after a deep breath. The smell of the detergent they use to clean the uniforms fills the air, and it’s very comforting. All sorts of memories flood back with the simple smell. Soon, sunscreen and sweaty band kids will join that scent.  
To any sensible person, that would surly sound disgusting–it usually is. Though, only two words come to mind when this scent is mentioned: band camp.  
However, right now it is only pre-camp. For the first week, we will only work on marching fundamentals and music. Some bands only require this for freshmen, but our directors also use this as basic review and as a way of getting to know our sections.  
The large room is completely quiet. It’s customary for the field commanders to arrive early. Our field commander last year, Elizabeth Redding, would always say, “Drum majors: first to arrive, last to leave.”  
“We’ve asked Kanaya to come in early today so we can talk to her,” Mr. N tells me when I enter the director’s office. Both of our directors don’t actually go by their proper surname. They agree that their last names are mouthfuls, and in a time of urgency it’s best to have an easy name. It becomes easy to forget their proper names when talking to an outside teacher. I always have to remind myself to say, Mr. Nathanson and Mrs. Hatifield as opposed to Mr. N and Mrs. H.  
As I walk out of the director’s office to go set my things in the woodwind storage area, I see somebody enter the band room. The messy black hair is a dead giveaway to Gamzee. “Hey, my sister! What’s goin’ on?” He asks as we both go to put away our things.  
He places his saxophone case on the black shelf on the far side of the room. “Not much. Why are you here so early?” I ask, although, knowing Gamzee, the answer is obvious.  
He shrugs. “Dad’s gone off on another business trip. I didn’t like bein’ all lonely at my house, so I figured somebody’d be here.” Exactly as I thought.  
Gamzee’s father is notorious for just leaving him without any warning. Gamzee is a senior, but the directors claim that they only see his father during registration, which makes only four times now. I’ve never seen him, but I feel bad for Gamzee. He comes across as goofy and acts as though it doesn’t bother him, but I am more than willing to bet that deep down it hurts.  
I keep Gamzee company until a few others arrive. As soon as Karkat gets here, I no longer worry about him. One of the ongoing jokes in the band is Karkat is Gamzee’s heterosexual life partner. Karkat isn’t particularly fond of the joke, but he has never denied it.  
The two are inseparable. I am envious of this. I do wish I had somebody who would like to be around me often. Maybe I shouldn’t dwell on that thought too much…  
Watching everyone come into the band room passes time. I talk to those who approach me, and answer as many questions that are brought to me. It’s funny how everyone seems to assume that the field commander has the answer to everything. I won’t get angry though. There was a time when I thought that too.  
I glance at the clock to check the time. We still have forty minutes until pre-camp officially starts. I wonder where Kanaya is?  
My violet eyes begin to wonder the growing sea of band kids, however, my attention immediately falls on the girl who has just walked into the room. Currently she is talking to Nepeta.  
Nepeta is already a pretty short girl, but the height of the girl completely dwarfs her. It isn’t in my personality to be so transfixed on someone like this, but I cannot remove my gaze from her. Her skin is very pale, but it makes for a lovely contrast with her short black hair. The green shirt she is wearing also makes for a nice contrast.  
Even the way she carries herself is full of finesse.  
I make is look as if my attention was elsewhere when she walks by.  
Interesting. I don’t seem to be myself today. This must be due to the fact that I had little sleep last night. Having Aradia over for the weekend certainly didn’t allow a proper sleeping schedule.  
Wait a moment…could she have been Kanaya?  
Turning around, I start to make my way towards the director’s office. Mrs. H had just started to walk out of the office when she spotted me. “I was just coming to get you!” She says in a cheerful voice. I think she is pretty excited about having a field commander who knows how to deal with a lot of students. I can’t blame her. As intimidating as the prospect may be, it will be nice having someone to fall back on in case I were to need it.  
Kanaya stands in front of the blue-green couch that sits between the director’s desks. Mr. N is already seated at his chair, giving us his attention. Mrs. H closes the door. “Now,” she says sitting down at her desk. “Kanaya, this is Rose Lalonde. She is our field commander,” she introduces.  
The taller girl glances at me, giving me a respectful nod. I note that she has very beautiful jade eyes.  
As they explain the situation to her, I study her body language. She doesn’t give off much; just a change in stance, and a few nods. It’s hard to tell what she is thinking. She isn’t giving any negative signs. Hopefully she is considering accepting.  
“We would love it if you would consider becoming the assistant field commander for our band, but you can give us your answer whenever,” Mr. N concludes.  
I look at Kanaya. Her jade eyes make contact with mine for a mere second before she refocuses on the directors. “This does come as a surprise to me, albeit a nice one. I will not delay my response, because I already gladly accept the position,” she says, enunciating each word with the utmost clarity.  
A silent sigh passes my lips. I’m pleased she made this decision, and it seems the directors think the same as well. “I look forward to working with you,” I tell her.  
“Same to you,” she replies.  
“Wonderful!” Mrs. H then looks at the clock. “Well, we’re about to start gathering everyone in the circle, so until then you two are free to do as you please.”  
We both nod, then head out of the office. Kanaya walks away without a word, but I pay no heed to it, instead walking over to John and Aradia. “So, how many drum majors do we have?” John asks me.  
“Two,” I simply answer. Judging by the enthusiastic response he gives me, he is far more excited about this than I am.  
It isn’t long until the directors call for everyone to gather in a circle. The sheer size of the band is quite astounding. It looks very fitting for our size room. Normally, it looks rather odd seeing only twenty-five people in such a large room. Over sixty people seem to fill out the room very nicely.  
Mrs. H steps forward, smiling brightly. “Welcome everyone! Both of us are excited that you all could make it. I’m Mrs. Hatifield, but you are all welcome to just call me Mrs. H,” she introduces.  
“And I’m Mr. Nathanson, but feel free to call me Mr. N. It’s much less of a mouthful,” Mr. N adds.  
“So, right now we’re just going to do introductions. Just tell us your name, your grade, and what instrument you play,” Mrs. H instructs. She then looks towards the blonde wearing aviator shades. “Okay, Shades, why don’t you start us off?” She invites.  
He nods, and I notice something about his smirk. It’s a smirk that says, “I have a witty comment”. Every year, without fail, someone always makes a joke like they’re sitting in a rehab circle. I wonder if he’s going to continue this tradition?  
“Hi. I’m Dave Strider, and I’m an alcoholic.” At this, a good majority of the band begins to laugh, myself included. I already have this feeling that this is going to be one interesting year. “But, back to being serious. I’m Dave, I’m a junior, and I play snare,” he says once the laughter has died down.  
I honestly think that this opening humor is always necessary. I’m sure the freshmen and newcomers are nervous, and what better than to alleviate some of that with some comedic relief?  
Dave then looks to his right, nodding at Aradia. “I’m Aradia. I’m a senior and I’m the center snare!” She introduces with a smile.  
As everyone else begins to introduce themselves, I notice that Kanaya seems to be paying extra attention. Just the way her jade eyes stare intently as names are spoken makes me smile. Though, because I spend more time watching her, I neglect to notice that it is my turn to introduce myself.  
“Rose!” Kanaya says in a quick whisper.  
I flinch, but force myself to quickly regain my posture. “I’m Rose. I am a junior, I am the field commander, and I will also play flute for marching season,” I quickly say, and then look over to Kanaya.  
She smiles. “Hello. I am Kanaya. I am a junior, I play flute, and I will also be the assistant field commander for this season.” When she mentions the field commander part, I notice a majority of the circle giving her an odd look. This was only to be expected. They’ll get used to it soon enough.  
From there, percussion and guard are sent off to do their own thing while the rest of us stay in the band room for marching technique. This is basically how it will be for the first week: marching and instrumental technique. Nothing else. By the end of this week everyone will be so sick of hearing the phrase “one-e-and-a”. It is all worth it though. 

 

The end of the day arrives, and Kanaya and I stay behind to make sure everyone gets a ride home. I don’t mind it now, but I know this will be a little painstaking when it comes time for competitions. Oh well. Leadership will always come at a price, and this is hardly a one to pay.  
Once given the okay to leave, we grab our things and take out leave. Standing on the stairs, Kanaya stops. It seems as though she has something to say, so I wait for her. “It’s odd,” she begins, resting her hand on the green railing. “Being in a band this small is certainly odd for me. Back at Ellensburg we were close to one hundred and fifty people.”  
I turn to face her. A sudden gust of wind blows her hair around. Though her hair looks fine, she is quick to fix it. I find this behavior to be cute, almost. “I can imagine it is odd being in a band less than seventy. I don’t think I could handle being in a band larger than this though.”  
She stifles a laugh. “Yes, well, it was a challenge. I never actually knew everyone’s name. I just knew their face and their section. It’s why I will be trying my hardest to learn everyone’s name this time. I wouldn’t want your directors thinking ill of me.” Not knowing everyone’s name? That just sounds terrible to me. There is no way I would be able to handle that.  
“I doubt they would ever think badly of you. I’ve been curious though. What exactly did you have to do to become field commander? It seems like a position that was taken very seriously,” I asked.  
She nods. “We always had three field commanders. The center podium would be the head field commander and would also be a senior. The two assistants would rotate between conducting backfield and off to the side, and would have to be a junior and a sophomore. Needless to say, you had to be very dedicated to the position, because you basically weren’t allowed to quit.” I feel as though, judging by her tone, there is an underlying story here. I won’t press for it, but it only heightens my curiosity.  
I nod for her to continue.  
“The current head field commander, Vriska Serket, worked with me for months my freshmen year. She was determined to make me an assistant,” she says, the girl’s name spoken with an air of fondness. Upon me asking if she was a good friend, the black-haired girl smiles before lowering her gaze to the ground. “Let’s just say that my opinion on her is very mixed.”  
It is probably best to leave it at that. I don’t want to leave her on this kind of note though. It wouldn’t feel right. “Did you enjoy your first day?” I ask her.  
Looking back up at me, the afternoon sun shines on her face. As if I needed to be reminded that she is very pretty. “I believe that it is too soon to be giving a definite answer, but,” she pauses to brush some hair behind her ear, “I do believe I am going to like it here.”  
I nod, liking the answer she has provided. I put my pink bag over my shoulder, and step down the stairs. “That’s good to hear. I do hope you come to love our little band,” I say, putting a little emphasis on “our”. Hopefully she will start using that term as well. “Oh, and you and I are going to have to hangout at some point. I would hate for us to be dysfunctional field commanders,” I quickly add.  
I watch as she studies me. She’s probably watching my body language, looking for any underlying motives. “Agreed,” she tentatively replies.  
I feel there is nothing more to say at this point. We say goodbye, and head in opposite directions. Kanaya is certainly interesting. Between her and Aradia, there are just far too many pretty girls in band. This cannot be good for my own self-esteem.  
Throughout the week, Kanaya and I grow closer. We talk on a fairly regular basis, and we have made a habit of talking before parting ways at the end of the day. She is certainly an interesting individual. I will admit to being jealous that no matter what she wears she looks amazing. Her eye for fashion is quite admirable. It’s odd that we now talk more than Aradia and I do.  
Kanaya also seems to love sarcasm. She’s yet to one-up me on that subject, but she is one to give out a good comeback or two.  
Pre-camp is over, but I can already tell this going to be one amazing year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Grr...I'm not happy with this chapter. Not one little bit. It feels so sloppy, and not in Rose's narrative. I'm just...I dunno. After what seemed like a decent start on chapter one, this feels like such a letdown. 
> 
> A lot of things are under-described. However, part of that is because this is first person. Rose is nervous, and a little transfixed by Kanaya. Some things were skipped over intentionally because of the nervous factor. Rose stopped paying attention to the introductions, so now she's going to have some trouble later on with remembering names among other things. We have to learn with Rose. 
> 
> i feel like that just seems like a crummy excuse OTL 
> 
> In response to a review I received:  
> shequiusthebandgeek ~ I already had Gamzee's instrument decided, but I will use your suggestion for Equius! I'm glad you suggested baritone, because I didn't have an instrument for him.  
> I am still deciding on mentioning the Alpha kids. I want to, but at the same time, I am very torn.  
> Also, I keep meaning to look up that marching band, but life likes to get in the way I'll do that soon, I promise! 
> 
> Dreamplay06 ~ Thank you so much for the review! I meant a lot, and I smiled like an idiot! I'm glad you liked it so much~ 
> 
> I cannot think of much else to say. Thanks to all favorites, kudos, comments, and reviews! It is all much appreciated~ 
> 
> Until later, 
> 
> Victoria

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my fiction, Washington Blues! It is my first long-fic for Homestuck. Humanstuck if we want to be precise. Haha.
> 
> Since I got into Homestuck, I've wanted to make a long-fic. Humanstuck came to mind when I wanted to make a fiction that revolved around high school. I'll be honest, I have no clue what regular high school students do. My high school life has always revolved around marching band. I guess this fiction can qualify as Marching/BandStuck! haha.
> 
> A lot of thought has gone into this fiction, plot planning wise. All the marching, who is on what instrument, and things like that has taken a lot. I think it's going to be worth it though. :3
> 
> I will not deny the laziness on the trolls. I probably should have given them more human-sounding names, but I wanted to keep their names. I don't know why, I just did.
> 
> Rose is the field commander because I'm basing her role off of mine, and their marching show is going to be based off of my show from this season.
> 
> Later on, when we get into the football and marching competition aspect, I will be playing a game. Who's That Marching Band?  
> Basically, I'm basing a lot of the other high school's marching shows off of bands I have seen this year, and in years past. I'll put a little section down here, revealing the band, and giving a little information I know about the band.  
> Otherwise, a lot of the high school information will be made up. It's kind of hard working with an area you don't live in, but I've done as much research as I can.
> 
> This fiction will be featuring Rose X Kanaya, so if you do not like that paring, this will not be the fiction for you. There will be other parings, but this one will be the focus.
> 
> Oh, and the mass ton of "OC"s I will be using for the band, I would like to say that most of them will not be based on my members. Right now, only a few will be based on my band members because they asked me to put them in this. They won't be introduced till later. haha.
> 
> I cannot think of much else to say. I hope you enjoyed reading, and I hope I wrote for Rose appropriately.
> 
> Until later,
> 
> ~Victoria.


End file.
